Key Takeaways
Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain emerges as the breakout hit, blending comedy and grief in a story about two cousins on a Holocaust heritage tour in Poland. Sean Wang's Dìdi earns the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award with its deeply personal coming-of-age tale. Rose Glass's Love Lies Bleeding establishes the British director as a genre visionary with its neo-noir bodybuilding romance. The documentary section delivers powerhouses with Sugarcane documenting the investigation of unmarked graves at a residential school.
Selections & Films
A Real Pain
Two cousins embark on a Holocaust memorial tour through Poland, navigating grief, humor, and their complicated relationship.
Dìdi (弟弟)
A Taiwanese-American teenager navigates the awkward summer before high school in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2008.
Love Lies Bleeding
A reclusive gym manager falls for an ambitious bodybuilder passing through town, igniting a violent, steroid-fueled romance.
Rez Ball
A Navajo high school basketball team chases a state championship while navigating life on the reservation.
Sing Sing
Based on a true story of an arts rehabilitation program inside Sing Sing prison, featuring a cast of formerly incarcerated actors.
Rebel Ridge
A former Marine confronts corruption in a small Southern town after his cousin's bail money is seized through civil forfeiture.
Sugarcane
An investigation into unmarked graves at a former residential school reveals a community's fight for justice and healing.
Porcelain War
Three Ukrainian artists use their craft as an act of resistance while serving on the frontlines of the war.
Daughters
Incarcerated fathers and their young daughters prepare for a special Daddy-Daughter Dance inside a Washington D.C. jail.
No Other Land
A Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist document the demolition of Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank.
Sujo
The orphaned son of a murdered hitman grows up trying to escape the cycle of cartel violence in rural Mexico.
Girls Will Be Girls
A studious teenage girl at a boarding school in the Himalayas begins to explore desire while her controlling mother visits.
In the Summers
Two sisters visit their charismatic but unreliable father in Las Cruces over four summers spanning two decades.
In a Violent Nature
A slasher film told from the killer's perspective, following a resurrected undead figure through the Canadian wilderness.
Thelma
A 93-year-old grandmother sets out on a daring mission across Los Angeles to get revenge on phone scammers who stole her money.
Frida
A fresh, intimate documentary portrait of Frida Kahlo told entirely through her own words, artwork, and personal materials.
Sundance Buzz Board
The most talked-about films from Park City, ranked by critical reception, audience reaction, and acquisition heat.
From Park City to Your Screen
Festival-to-Screen Bridge
Track when Sundance acquisitions hit theaters and streaming platforms.
Explore Bridge →Festival Guides
Everything you need to know about attending Sundance, buying tickets, and navigating Park City.
Read Guides →Cinema Passport
Discover world cinema from the countries represented in Sundance's World Cinema sections.
Start Passport →Sundance Film Festival FAQ
What is the Sundance Film Festival?
The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent film festival in the United States, held annually in Park City, Utah. Founded by Robert Redford and run by the Sundance Institute, it showcases new work from American and international independent filmmakers. Past discoveries include Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Reservoir Dogs, Get Out, and CODA.
When is the Sundance Film Festival 2026?
The Sundance Film Festival 2026 runs from January 22 to February 1, 2026, in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. The festival also offers virtual online screenings for select titles.
How can I attend the Sundance Film Festival?
Sundance sells Festival Passes and individual screening tickets to the general public. Passes go on sale in the fall preceding the festival. Individual tickets are released in waves, typically in early January. The festival also offers an online streaming component for audiences who cannot attend in person. Check our Festival Guides for a step-by-step attendance plan.
What is a Sundance acquisition?
A Sundance acquisition occurs when a distributor purchases the rights to a film during or after the festival. Sundance is famous for its competitive bidding wars, with studios and streamers competing to acquire the most buzzed-about titles. Record-breaking deals include CODA (Apple, $25 million) and Palm Springs (Hulu/Neon, $17.5 million).
What are the main sections at Sundance?
Sundance features several competitive sections: U.S. Dramatic Competition (American narrative features), U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, and NEXT (innovative low-budget filmmaking). Non-competitive sections include Premieres, Spotlight, and the Shorts Program.